TLE Meets…Carl Hutchinson

Geordie comic Carl Hutchinson has been called “Uniquely stubborn, outright impractical and undeniably hilarious” and we caught up with him for a quick chat…

What is your show about?

The show is called The Fixer, I get people to tweet in before the show starts with “If you were PM for the day what one law would you introduce?” It’s just a fun little way of getting to interact with the crowd without asking the standard, where you from? What do you do for a living? It’s fun to find out a little more about the people in audience. Depending on how many people get involved the show can be very interactive to not at all interactive. I have my own “laws” as backup. If people don’t want to get involved I don’t want to force them.

What’s your favorite part of touring?

I get to do what I love to do.

…. And the worst?

The travel.

How did you start off in comedy, and did you always want to be a comedian?

October 24th 2006. It was that long ago. Dog & Parrot, Newcastle. I wanted to at least give stand-up a go, at school and 6th form I’d always performed in some sort of capacity. From school plays to opening and closing speeches at various European Youth Parliament debates. So when I completed my first year at uni without doing any sort of public speaking I was kind of getting the itch again.

I contacted Newcastle University’s Drama Society to ask if anyone knew how to get into stand up. A guy called Murry James gave me another guys email (Chris Martin) who was running a gig at the halls of residence at the time. He politely passed me onto Al Dawes who ran the open mic night at the Dog & Parrot. I called Al from my parents house phone and wrote the date and location down on the back of a metro ticket and promptly blue tacked it to my George Bush funny quotes obligatory uni poster.

It was a month away and it was all I thought about, what would I do or say in 5 mins? Would I last 5 mins? Would I get a laugh? WHAT WOULD I TALK ABOUT?! I think I spoke about daytime TV adverts or something. I don’t remember much but I got enough laughs to carry one, from that day I was hooked.

What’s your top tip for aspiring comics?

Stock up on books, podcasts and tv shows. Don’t stop and eat food on a journey, get food for the journey! Pack light and wash clothes along the way if you can. Get your arse to the gym or be prepared to put weight on in a hurry. Remember if it’s free drink at the venue the other comedian driving you home might not like having to do 17 piss stops.

How do London audiences differ to other towns?

There’s so much going on in London your competition is through the roof, every time I perform in London I’m extra grateful because they’ve probably came straight from work, wrestled people on the tube & paid £6 for a pint. However I do feel it’s not the city that defines a crowd it’s the location; Theatre, Comedy Club downstairs in a pub, Arts Centre, Festivals, those types of gigs tend to be the same wherever you go.

Do you have a favorite place to go when in London?

I’m always just happy to get to the gig and unload my suitcase and backpack. It’s so stressful I’m just happy to sit down in London.

What’s the worst heckle you have ever received?

I’m not being funny but neither are you.

… And what’s your best heckler put down?

It’s really juvenile but when people interrupt and I try to make a joke out of it, sometimes the heckler will try to shut it down and say “Carry on” in a very patronizing manner. So I say if only your parents didn’t”.

Carl Hutchinson is on tour with his latest show ‘The Fixer’ including a performance at The Bloomsbury Theatre on the 18th May. For more information please visit carlhutchinson.net

Joe is a freelance journalist who writes news and features for national newspapers and a variety of magazine titles. He studied Economics and Politics at the University of Manchester and also has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.